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Wednesday, September 22, 2010

Senate Refuses To Repeal "Don't Ask--Don't Tell"

The Senate dealt a significant blow yesterday afternoon to President Obama's attempt to repeal the ban on openly gay people serving in the military.

The vote was 56 to 43.

All Senate Republicans and 3 Democrats voted to keep the policy in place.

Harry Reid, realizing he would be unable to ram it through, was actually one of the three Democrats. Reid's vote allows him to bring the bill back at a later time. It also allows him to tell conservatives and people of faith he didn't vote for it as he promises homosexuals he will try to bring it back.

The bill could come back after the mid-term elections.

As you know, candidate Obama promised to abolish the military policy. He also promised to abolish the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA).

The Pentagon is currently conducting a survey to assess the impact on military personnel should the policy be repealed. The study is due December 1.

Thank you to all who called your Senator.

Even while the vote was under consideration yesterday, Gen. James Amos, President Obama's choice to lead the Marine Corps, said he didn't think that Congress should lift the ban.

He told the Senate panel that he was concerned that unit morale could suffer. He also said the shake-up could become a distraction for the forces busy fighting in Afghanistan.

John McCain, no stranger to military service and strongly opposed to repealing the policy, said on the Senate floor last week, "I regret to see that the long-respected and revered Senate Armed Services Committee has evolved into a forum for a social agenda of the liberal left of the Senate."

It is further alarming to see there are those in the Senate willing to use our military for social experimentation and vote getting, even if many see it as compromising the mission of our armed forces.

By last night the blame had started.

Some are "blaming" Republicans for obstructing the repeal, but according to POLITICO, "Most said the President didn't work hard enough to keep his campaign promise of repeal, and said Reid erred by rejecting Republican requests to allow the GOP to offer amendments to the bill."

Richard Socarides, who advised President Clinton on homosexual issues said, "This is a result of an across the board failure of leadership by the president, the Pentagon and the Congress."

It could be that Mr. Socarides is unaware that many people in this country believe that homosexual behavior is not normal behavior. Biblical teaching both condemns the behavior and offers deliverance from it. It is not a behavior that should be elevated or celebrated by the culture or the military.

Hopefully, there will be a good number of new lawmakers who hold these views, as well.